Background and aims <p>Sustainable grazing management in salinized meadows requires balancing ecological conservation with livestock production, yet the soil-mediated mechanisms underlying these trade-offs remain unclear.</p> Methods <p>Through a four-year controlled rotational grazing experiment with Simmental cattle across four stocking rates (0, 0.66, 1.33, and 2.66 cattle ha⁻¹), we integrated vegetation, livestock, and soil data with structural equation modeling to identify key soil mediators of ecosystem trade-offs.</p> Results <p>Aboveground biomass of community (AGB), shannon–wiener index, temporal stability of community (TSC) and community asynchrony (CAS) all peaked at 1.33 cattle ha⁻¹. TSC was negatively correlated with average daily gain of livestock (ADG) across all grazed treatments (<i>P</i> &lt; 0.01). Grazing directly increased soil electrical conductivity (EC), which enhanced ADG but suppressed AGB. Grazing duration elevated soil total phosphorus (TP), which promoted AGB but compromised TSC. Soil moisture (SM) enhanced species diversity, AGB, and TSC but suppressed ADG, whereas CAS promoted ADG. Random forest analysis identified TP, EC, and SM as the key predictors. Although 0.66 cattle ha⁻¹ induced strong soil‑ecosystem synergies, a medium stocking rate of 1.33 cattle ha⁻¹ was optimal, simultaneously maximizing plant productivity and community stability while minimizing phosphorus‑driven trade‑offs.</p> Conclusion <p>Our results identify soil EC, TP, and SM as the three key mediators of grazing impacts. Sustainable management of salinized meadows should focus on mitigating salinization, optimizing phosphorus availability, and conserving soil moisture. A stocking rate of 1.33 cattle ha⁻¹ is recommended as the optimal practice to preserve plant diversity and promote synergistic ecosystem functioning.</p>